Saddle gasket



April 20, 1943.

R. E. RISLEY SADDLE GASKET Filed Dec. 2, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J 5 r M e 's (Ml ATTORNEY R. E. RISLEY SADDLE GASKET April 20, 194:3.

Filed Dec. 2, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 2Q, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SADDLE GASKET Roger E. Risley, Bradford, Pa., assignor to Dresser Manufacturing Company, Bradford, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania.

Application December 2, 1941, Serial No. 421,266

5 Claims.

My invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and several slight modifications thereof, and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

. In the use of pipe saddles, it has been customary to employ gaskets of lead between the saddle flange and the outer surface of the pipe, the lead being compressed when the nuts on the threaded ends of the stirrups are tightened.

These metallic gaskets have not proved entirely satisfactory, and at the present time gaskets of rubber or rubber composition are preferred. In practice, rubber gaskets in the form of flat rings are usually furnished separately from the metal flange and stirrups, and provided by the ruser by cutting them from sheet material. As

a result, gaskets may become mislaid or lost, or an incorrect sized gasket may be improperly placed with respect to the branch pipe aperture `in the saddle flange, with the result that the y desired gas tight connection between the liange erably rubber or rubber composition, with at least two projections or ears disposed substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the gasket, and arranged to eifect such a tight fit with the walls of properly located apertures or sockets, in the Vsaddle ange, and closed at their inner ends that the gasket cannot be separated from the saddle flange Without the exertion of considerable force.

It is important to provide these sockets closed at their inner ends, as the gaskets are ordinarily `narrow, and if apertures extending entirely ythrough the saddle ilange were employed, the

sealing surface adjacent to the projections or ears would be materially reduced, and leakage through these apertures might easily occur.V It is also desirable that the ears should be of greater diameter than the sockets to make it practically impossible for the gasket to accidentally separate from the saddle flange. When so made it is extremely diicult to insert the ears in the sockets as the ears or projections tend to bind therein and further they act like pistons in compressing the air in the sockets so as to resist the insertion of the ears. f

I overcome these difficulties in several ways. For example, I may provide each of the projections or ears with a longitudinal passage closed at its cuter end, to receive a small elongating pin or' rod, which is inserted in the passage so that the projection may be extended longitudinally, thereby reducing its Idiameter to less than that o f the socket in which it is to be inserted, thus enabling the projection or ear to be readily inserted, as the occluded air can essape between the projection and the wall of the socket. When the pin is withdrawn the projectionV or ear will contract longitudinally and expand laterally so as to firmly t the socket and make its accidental removal practically impossible. IIhe exterior surface of the' ears may be coated with Acement if desired, which will make it practically impossible to remove them from the sockets, but I prefer not to use cement, as it is sometimes desirable to remove the gasket and replace it. It can be readily removed by again inserting the pins and stretching the ears longitudinally, and thereby reducing their diameter and permitting them to be `drawn out. The sockets are preferably of slightly greater length than the ears to facilitate the insertion and removal of the ears.

By thismeans theA gasket can be united to the flange of the saddle before delivery to the user and will be held in concentric position with respect to the branch pipe aperture and retained in operative relation with the saddle.

Insome instances I may provide the ears with longitudinal passages open at their inner ends and. pro-vide the inserting pins with longitudinal outlet `passages communicating with the atmosphere, to facilitate exhausting the air from the sockets. Y My' invention also contemplates other modications V'hereinafter described and illustrated in thejaccoinpanying drawings.

Y Referring to said drawings, Y

Fig. 1 is a plan View 0f a saddle and its engaged 1 pipe section, the gasket being indicated in dotted lines.

ltion being broken away to show the interengagement of the gasket ears with the sockets in the saddle flange.

Fig. 4 is a plan view oi the saddle gasket.

Fig. 5 represents a section of the same on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the manner of inserting the ears of the gasket in the sockets provided in the saddle flange.

Fig. 6a is a similar view showing the gasket elongated and inserted within the socket.

Fig. 6b is a similar view yshowing, the .elongating pin or rod removed and the `gasket lear rmly seated in the socket.

Fig. 7 is a plan View similar to Fig. 4, showing a slightly modied construction.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View on the line "8-8 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. '6, showing :a .1

slightly modied construction.

Fig. 10 is a plan View of a slightly .modified form of gasket.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line .IfI-lll of Fig. Vl0. Y

In the drawings, Figs. '1 to '6, i 'represents'the saddle flange which may be of'any Ypreferred or usual construction, and 4is provided .at eachend with 'bolt apertures to receive the threaded ends .2a .of the saddle stirrups 2. 3 represents the 'nuts for .clamping the saddle Vfia'nge yupon the pipe, indicated at d. The saddle flange 'l is lprovided with a branch 'aperture 5, shown in this .case 'threaded to receive a threaded branch pipe, and this saddle flange Vis-alsoprovided, preferably .at pointsdiarnetrically opposite each other and on opposite sides of the aperture "5, 'with Vsockets `6.-S closed at their ends, as'at 15a, 6a, to receive Vprojections or ears "l, formed 'integral with a circulargaskett, formed of elastic material, prefera'bly rubber or rubber composition. VThe gasket 8 'is also provided with a channel, indicated atjil, extending longitudinally 'of each ofthe ears or ,projections l, from the bottomface ofthe gas-- ket toa point near theupper end of 'the-ear.

As 4previously set Jforth, each 'of the ears or projectionsl 'is formed of greater diameter than that of 'the socket G which it is to engage, Vas clearly indicated in Fig. 6.

lnFigs. 6, 6a and b'I 'haveshownjthe Amanner in which the elastic projections or ears are inserted in tthe sockets. Thus, in Fig. 6, I "have shown an'elongating Apin 4orrod `llL'which 'may conveniently 'be'provided witha 4handle H, and which 'ispreferably 4slightly tapered `toward its outer end, Vinserted in the central channel 9 of the ear or projection 1, Aso that by pressure of the said pinV or rod,'the projection Yor fear 'maybe elongated, as shown in Fig. 6a, thereby reducing its diameter so that `it is lessthan the Y diameter of the socket 6, and thus permitting the A insertion vof the projection crear in thesocket V' nel 9 in the ear or projection, permitting the longitudinal contraction thereof, which will cause it Lto expand laterallyand firmly engage the'wall so Ythat it cannot be accidentally disengaged therefrom.

In the vforrn of my invention indicated in Figs. l to 6a, for example, the ears or projections,

substantially centrally with respect vto the width lof the annular portions of the gasket and the opposite faces of the gasket, are ,preferably formed of greater thickness, so that `when the (loV gasket is placed under compression by tightening the nuts 3-3 of the saddle stirrups, the gasket will be compressed rst at its thickest portion and the packing surfaces on opposite sides of the gasket will be forced gradually into greater area of contact, until the desired and efficient packing results.

In some instances theprojections'orears may .be "located vmore closely :adjacent to `.either the inner or the outer periphery of the gasket for example, and in Fig. 8 I have shown the gasket at IBB having the ears or projections |01 located 4closely adjacent to the inner peripheral edge .of `thegasketyand with the upper or outer ends -of ithe zears fchamfered instead of rounded, as shown in :the previous figures.

.In Figs. 10.and 11,1 have shown anotherrslight modification of the gasket, in which the body of thegasket is formed of a plurality of concentric rings 2080i, 208D and 208e, diminishing in cross ,sectional diameter `4toward "the outer Lperiphery Aof the gaskets, these rrings being "con-Y nectedby relatively'thinwebs to `form ran Aintegral 'gasket of rubber or rubbercomposition, orother suitable elastic material.l Y 'This provides y=a Acon-V centric series 'of vhigh pressure areas, `the initial seal being made at the innermost ring section 'and subsequent 'tightening of the 'stirrups vapplying 'pressure progressively to fthectherring sections. This form of lgasket lis 'o'f vadvantage'vin providing for Aa variation in ycurvature "between the saddle `and the pipe, and foraccommodating 'irregularities in lthe"meetingsurfaces fo'f the saildl'e flange vand pipe, which functions are also `served by the'form of Igasket section illustrated lin the Vpreceding igures.

InFig. `9 I'have-illustratedianotherslight modi- Y Y cation vof myinvention in which the I"longing-Clif nal`cha'nnels :3&9 "in the projections -or ears "B01 are `open vlat the outer end, through a passage 399s., vwhich is of -less diameter vthanthe channel '353. 'This ywill provide `a shoulder 309'!) at the inner end of the 4channel 309 to -be engaged bythe elongating Vpin 310, `and further provide the pin itself with 'a longitudinal passage "3100 communicating `by a vlateral aperture 3F01? with the atmosphere to facilitate the-discharge fof `Vthe occluded air withinithe sockets as Athe ears or V projections are elongated and forced iin'to the latter. l Y

it will be noted by 'reference particularly fto 2, for example, thatby lhaving the sockets`v 6 for rthe lears Ior 4proje'ctions 'l' closed at their` inner ends, it is possible to fcrmthe-'gasketof y'adiarnl eter but slightlylar'ger than the branch 'aperture :Einth'e Asaddle ilange 'and to locate theears directly on the packing surfaces of the gasket, and .tothus reduceV the size ci' the'rgasket without :its efficiency. On ctherhand, it will aso 'be seen from `this igure, vthat where'the sockets S Vopenat 4their @titer .ends the 'area of eifective packing .adjacent v.to the ears .or .prjections 'l would be reduced to .less .thanliaitthe width -of `theannular por: ion fof .the vggasket.

Y' Since the :gasket is preferably 'made `omite .na-r- :row throughout 'its :,annnlar'fportion `to .insure a high :gasket .pressureflthe materiali-t@Y of closing 'the scckets Vat their onterentls lw ately apparent.

be immedi- It will `also be obviens :tha-tithe location-of thefearsor projections-with respect-to `the inner and outer peripheral edges offtlcefgasket may be varied to enable the rsockets ror 'recesses t:ii

suflicient depth without penetrating entirely through the casting or body of the ange.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a saddle having a saddle flange provided With sockets closed at their outer ends and disposed laterally with respect to the branch pipe aperture therein, and a gasket of elastic material having integral ears of greater diameter than that of said sockets and held under lateral compression in said sockets, said ears being each provided with a longitudinal passage closed at its inner end to receive a tool for elongating it and reducing its diameter and thereby venting the occluded air in said socket.

2. The combination with a saddle having a saddle iange provided with sockets closed at their outer ends and disposed laterally with respect to the branch pipe aperture therein, and a gasket of elastic material having integral ears of greater diameter than that of said sockets and held under lateral compression in said sockets, said ears being each provided with a longitudinal passage to receive a tool to elongate it and reduce its diameter, said passage being provided at its inner end with an aperture communicating with the inner end of its engaged socket, to vent the occluded air therefrom through said passage and thereby facilitate the insertion of the ear in said socket.

3. A saddle gasket formed of elastic material and comprising an annular portion provided with integral projections extending substantially perpendicularly from one face of the gasket for engaging recesses of less diameter in the saddle ange, said projections being provided each with a longitudinal passage to receive a tool for elongating it and reducing its diameter to facilitate the insertion thereof in one of said recesses.

4. A saddle gasket formed of elastic material and comprising an annular portion provided with integral projections extending substantially perpendicularly from one face of the gasket for engaging recesses of less diameter in the saddle flange, said projections being provided each with a longitudinal passage extending therethrough and having a restricted portion at its outer end providing a shoulder to be enga-ged by a tool for inserting said projections in said recesses.

5. The combination with a saddle having a saddle flange provided With sockets closed at their outer ends and disposed laterally With respect to the branch pipe aperture therein, of a gasket of elastic material having integral ears normally of less length and of greater diameter than said sockets and held under lateral compression in said sockets when in assembled relation.

ROGER E. RISLEY. 

